towing 13 ft versus 16 ft

[Karalyn]

Those of you that have owned both a 13 and a 16 ft fiberglass RV, which do you consider safest to tow? Is smaller safer or bigger with a little more weight safer to tow??? Because of my TV (toyota Scienna) there will be no 17 ft Casita in my future. ( yes I am still dreaming of my next casita here).

Thanks

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Karalyn

Those of you that have owned both a 13 and a 16 ft fiberglass RV, which do you consider safest to tow? Is smaller safer or bigger with a little more weight safer to tow??? Because of my TV (toyota Scienna) there will be no 17 ft Casita in my future. ( yes I am still dreaming of my next casita here).

Thanks

There is no difference to the safety of either of them as long as your TV has the capacity to handle the trailer. If you are talking of backing up safety, the longer the trailer is makes it easier. The curved sides of our eggs also makes it a bit harder than a straight sided trailer.

[Bob Miller]

Depending on the year and driveline, there is a maximum towing capacity range from as low as 1000 lbs to as high as 3500 lbs. shown for the Toyota Sienna. For a better answer please look n your owners manual and tell us what it specs for your particular year and model.


That said, with proper towing capacity and set up, neither length should be "Safer" than the other. But, as a tip, you don't usually want to be pushing the maximum towing weight limits of your vehicle as that may have some effect on the stability of your tow.


Be sure to consult the listing of the Real World Trailer Weights" in the General Chat section. Manufacturers (and sellers) weight claims are notoriously low and you need to know actual, typical weights for a loaded trailer, not an empty shell.

[floyd]

Both are excellent and safe. The 13 is somewhat more stable in crosswinds and mates a little better with short wheelbase tow vehicles.
Overall, nothing tows better than a Scamp!
If I were to choose one for autocross it would be the 13.
If I were choosing one for ordinary towing I would choose the one I liked the best.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by floyd

Overall, nothing tows better than a Scamp!

Actually, nothing tows better than a Casita. Nothing also tows better than an Escape or any other trailer for that matter (I love towing nothing!) because when your vehicle is connected to something you are hauling it is something else of which you need to be aware/concerned. But Floyd is oh so correct. Smaller profile should be more stable in cross winds, like less sail on a sailboat. But the fiberglass campers do tow well compared to other trailers I have had the distinct displeasure of towing.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Bob Miller]

Hmmmmm... I've got ten toes and like them all, but the two big ones seem to do most of the work.....LOLOLOL

[MC1]

Originally Posted by Karalyn

Those of you that have owned both a 13 and a 16 ft fiberglass RV, which do you consider safest to tow? Is smaller safer or bigger with a little more weight safer to tow??? Because of my TV (toyota Scienna) there will be no 17 ft Casita in my future. ( yes I am still dreaming of my next casita here).

Thanks

We own a Sienna too. Very nice vehicle and history has proven they are a very capable tow vehicle. We tow our 23' with a mid size car but we know the Sienna would also be an excellent tow vehicle for our trailer.

All this hinges on the connection and set up. This is one of the most important things to consider when putting your combination together.
Hitch quality and configuration, set up and adjustments, brakes on the trailer (set up and adjustments) etc. So many folks seem to skim over these all important details and end up with a tow that is not comfortable nor safe.

Best of luck with your trailer selection. You have a highly respected TV with the Sienna.

[Borden]

Originally Posted by MC1

We own a Sienna too. Very nice vehicle and history has proven they are a very capable tow vehicle. We tow our 23' with a mid size car but we know the Sienna would also be an excellent tow vehicle for our trailer.

All this hinges on the connection and set up. This is one of the most important things to consider when putting your combination together.
Hitch quality and configuration, set up and adjustments, brakes on the trailer (set up and adjustments) etc. So many folks seem to skim over these all important details and end up with a tow that is not comfortable nor safe.

Best of luck with your trailer selection. You have a highly respected TV with the Sienna.

Agree with what you are saying; we used a swaybar even with the prior smaller car and smaller trailer, now use electric trailer brakes (would have been good to have even on smaller trailer), class 3 frame hitch, wd system with swaybar, proper trailer tires, the car has a full size spare so we can tow if we get a flat, transaxle cooler etc. Safety is important, too strong of a cross wind, pull over and take a rest find what you like and have fun.

[Karalyn]

WAYNE - what kind of hitch did you install on your Sienna? I need to get one and these mini vans are low to the ground. I do not want to hit ground going in and out of gas stations, etc.
My van will tow 3500 lb so a 13 or 16 ft would work. I will be towing just a couple times a year but after rolling my SUV and 17 ft sticky in the ditch last year I am a little gun shy. My swaybar did nothing when that trailer started to fish tail. I guess I am looking for safest model to keep from fish tailing in the future. I want to be extra, extra cautious when towing anything ever again.
With my first 16 ft I was told I did not need trailer brakes. I did fine with that one, then with the second Scamp and Casita I had trailer brakes. Also had trailer brakes with the stickie too, but when the camper begins to fish tail -look out!
No more stickies for me! Back to fiberglass and I am still gun shy.

[tractors1]

Fish tailing is related to trailer loading, not a few feet difference in length. Weigh your trailer and tongue so you know you have sufficient tongue weight to keep the trailer stable and tracking with your tow vehicle. Hitch needs to be level or a bit low so the trailer is level or nose down. A tall stickie is more susceptible to cross winds, but the same rules of physics apply to a smaller trailer.

Charlie Y

[C&G in FL]

It doesn't take much to mess up the weight distribution with sway resulting. A few pounds in the wrong places can do it.

[Fallon]

The hitch weight should be 10-15% of the trailer weight. A car with a low trailer can go to 7% or so. Any less you have fishtailing problems. So load things right & you are good. Also keep the weight as close to the axle as possible. The further to the end of the trailer the more momentum it gains.

Fishtailing occurs when the trailer pushes sideways on the hitch way behind the axle. Goosenecks & 5th wheels hitch point is in front of the axle so are immune to fishtailing.

Sent from my A0001 using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[Karalyn]

well, I panicked when someone somewhere honked as I was about to pass a slow driver on the freeway. I should have just kept on moving over instead of trying to slow down again and stay in the right lane. I know that no one was in my left lane. Panicking at a horn sound caused the accident. I hardly ever toot my horn but I have done it when coming up on someone that may not see me if they are hauling something. I will not be tooting my horn unless in emergency situation from here on out. I still have no idea why the horn honked and where that person was. I am thankful to be alive and so is hubby and all the dogs.

[Karalyn]

Oh, I did see a 5th wheel in the ditch and truck and camper both on their side. Helecopter was called on that one. So they must fish tail or something. He tipped over on his side with 5th wheel attached.
Yep. leary here. Wishing I could afford a class "c" but I don't think fiberglass has one. I have found fiberglass do not get hail damage and leak like stickies do either.
Wanting fiberglass here again.

[Roger C H]

An eye-opening demonstration:

Bailey of Bristol - Caravan Stability Studies

We like our 13'. It is the closest thing to not having a trailer at all. I used to tow a 20' sailboat on a trailer and can make some comparisons:

The longer trailer will track further inside on a turn and thereby precludes sharp turns and one has to not turn too close to the curb.

While the longer trailer is easier to maneuver in reverse because it turns slower, it also takes more effort to get it to turn. Shorter wheelbases turn quicker and as such are more maneuverable. I find that turning the wheel about a hand width works.

You want to talk hail damage, imagine an Airstream after a hailstorm. I saw the damage a woodpecker did to one. The bird liked the louder sound it made in comparison to a tree in calling for a mate.

[MC1]

Originally Posted by Karalyn

WAYNE - what kind of hitch did you install on your Sienna? I need to get one and these mini vans are low to the ground. I do not want to hit ground going in and out of gas stations, etc.

Sorry Karalyn, we do not have a hitch/receiver on our Sienna for now. Some of my online pals do tow with Sienna's. If you really want a safe tow consider a WDH. They really help handling and stability.

[Bob Miller]

Wanting a Class "C" FGRV?
There are several choices still out there.
Last week there was one of the few SCAMP motorhomes on eBay and there are still molded fiberglass Toyota Sunraders showing up out there on occasion. In the latter, 1987-1992 are the better years, but hang onto your wallet.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by Roger C H

An eye-opening demonstration:

Bailey of Bristol - Caravan Stability Studies

Not a very informative demo - other than showing a big mass toward the rear is a problem. Had the beam been graduated he could have shown WHERE the weights were relative to the axle and shown the point at which increasing weight distribution toward to the tongue makes for a nice stable ride.

[honda03842]

Karalyn,

Over the last 7 years we've towed a number of different fiberglass trailers, they all towed beautifully. For example, to me there's little difference between towing a Scamp 13 or Scamp 16, they have similar frontal areas and similar weights. Weight is a factor on hills and frontal area is always a factor, most of the tow vehicle load is air resistance, I prefer the 16.

As to stability they are all stable if properly loaded. To me properly loading a trailer consists of keeping heavy items near or over the axle (like canned goods, pots and pans) and light things on the ends (like bedding and clothing). For a secondary part of the equation is proper inflation of tires. We increase the cold inflation pressure of the tow vehicle tires to higher than normal (our rears to 39 and fronts to 36 lbs). We also keep our trailer tires at max 50 lbs.

We also minimize tongue weight, we carry only one 20 lb propane tank. Most of our years towing our tongue weight was limited to 220 lbs. This means we typically had a 7-8% tongue weight.

This was never a problem, in part because of our centered weight. During most of our years we have towed with an anti-sway bar because we think it might nice in emergency. For an anti-sway bar to work it most be appropriately tightened but not too tight.

We used to have a motorhome, my rule with the motorhome was no rapid steering maneuvers. To me the motorhome was much harder to drive than a small trailer. As a result I think the no rapid maneuvers rule has carried over to the trailer.

As well we're not high speed drivers when towing. Our trailer tires have a max speed of 65 mph stamped on them and we never go that fast. On Interstates we stay to the right and keep it at 62 mph.

As to 13 versus 16, we're on the road over 7 months a year. The bigger trailer provides more storage volume and a bathroom. Of course we love fiberglass trailers, they just last forever without too much work required, our son has a Scamp 13 that's 35 years old.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Not a very informative demo - other than showing a big mass toward the rear is a problem.

If you look across the top of the same website there is actually an interactive game you can play called Interactive Stability Game that is VERY informative.